Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post Reply
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4719
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

Welcome to round 1.6 of Moderately Acclaimed Albums 2020!

Vote for your favorite album in each match-up.
Remember, anyone can vote as long as the voter has heard both albums.

Good-spirited comments are encouraged, but not absolutely necessary.
Deadline = April 21st at 10am EST.

Here's a link to the bracket for the entire tournament:
http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=473090

Match-ups:
1. R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
2. The Breeders - Pod vs. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. Marion Jola - Marion vs. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Giant - Time To Burn vs. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens


here we go again
Turn it up! Bring the noise!
User avatar
Schüttelbirne
Into the Groove
Posts: 2379
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:50 am

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Schüttelbirne »

1. 6 | R.E.M. - Green vs. 1 | Nico - The Marble Index
2. 4 | The Breeders - Pod vs. 3 | Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. 8 | Marion Jola - Marion vs. 2 | Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. 7 | Giant - Time To Burn vs. 5 | Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens

R.E.M.'s album is a mess, Giant and Jola are actively bad.
I just really hope Nico makes it, cause it's the best here by a lot.
DaveC
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3484
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 12:04 am

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by DaveC »

1. R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
2. The Breeders - Pod vs. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. Marion Jola - Marion vs. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Giant - Time To Burn vs. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
User avatar
Bang Jan
Full of Fire
Posts: 2669
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 9:15 pm
Location: Cheltenham, United Kingdom

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Bang Jan »

2 | R.E.M. | Green
1 | Nico | The Marble Index

3 | The Breeders | Pod
6 | Alt-J | This Is All Yours

7 | Marion Jola | Marion
4 | Brian Wilson | Brian Wilson

8 | Giant | Time To Burn
5 | Ritchie Valens | Ritchie Valens

Favourite song of the week: Nico | Evening of Light
"The first word in this song is discorporate. It means to leave your body."
User avatar
Madzong
Shake Some Action
Posts: 1476
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:36 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Madzong »

1. R.E.M. - Green
2. The Breeders - Pod
3. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Giant - Time To Burn

I have never heard of Giant before. I didn't mind it to be honest - even though t doesn't seem too popular thus far!
"On a mountain range, I'm Dr. Strange"
Rdwdbob
Keep On Movin'
Posts: 1604
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:06 am
Location: Healdsburg, CA
Contact:

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Rdwdbob »

R.E.M. - GREEN
ALT-J - THIS IS ALL YOURS
BRIAN WILSON - BRIAN WILSON
RITCHIE VALENS - RITCHIE VALENS
Cold Butterfly
Different Class
Posts: 484
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2018 2:28 am

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Cold Butterfly »

Nico - The Marble Index
The Breeders - Pod
Marion Jola - Marion
Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
Wisnu Tirta Aji
Different Class
Posts: 434
Joined: Mon Sep 09, 2019 11:42 am

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Wisnu Tirta Aji »

1. R.E.M. - Green
Today, the most successful band, R.E.M., meet the most acclaimed act, Nico. Heightly, R.E.M. is not only best known for their songs that charting on Billboard's Hot 100, but also their followers are more than Nico's followers. Nico is only known as the most acclaimed act. I think, here, R.E.M. can be beaten up Nico.

2. The Breeders - Pod
It's not problem if in this tournament Alternative meet Alternative. Same as of above, between The Breeders and Alt-J, The Breeders also can be beaten up Alt-J. I know The Breeders very well because they are not only known for their song, "Cannonball", but also known as the project of Pixies.

3. Marion Jola - Marion
This tournament is terrible because The Beach Boys member meet Indonesian Idol alumni. It's hard to understand who will be the winner until 21 April because both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are the best and both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are very known for their own songs in their home: Marion Jola with "So in Love" while Brian Wilson with The Beach Boys' "Caroline, No" (his song classified as a one-hit wonder because the Top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 never see Brian Wilson's singles again). Also, their genres are different: Marion Jola is a Pop artist while Brian Wilson is a member of The Beach Boys, a Surf Rock band that turn to Pop Rock band, formed in 1961. So, because both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are the best, Brian Wilson's chair is giving up to Marion Jola as my sacrifice.

4. Giant - Time To Burn
Same as of above, this tournament is terrible. This time, Melodic Slow Rock band meet Latin/Chicano Rock and Roll artist. And again, because both Giant and Ritchie Valens are the best, Ritchie Valens' chair is giving up to Giant as my sacrifice.
Last edited by Wisnu Tirta Aji on Wed Apr 15, 2020 8:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Director of Top Hits and also founder of Top 500 Radio Hits of All Time, now Top 500+ and soon grown up to Top 1000+.

Coming soon:
Top 1000+ Tournament Poll

Signature:
Top 1000+ Tournament Poll is the music version of election day.
User avatar
Romain
Happy Up Here
Posts: 5433
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 2:25 pm
Location: Lyon, France

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Romain »

1. Nico - The Marble Index
2. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. Pass
4. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
Jirin
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3350
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:12 am

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Jirin »

Green 89 - The Marble Index 85
Pod 78 - This Is All Yours 74
Brian Wilson 78 - Marion 63
Ritchie Valens 81 - Time To Burn 65
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4719
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

Wisnu Tirta Aji wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2020 2:28 am 1. R.E.M. - Green
Today, the most successful band, R.E.M., meet the most acclaimed act, Nico. Heightly, R.E.M. is not only best known for their songs that charting on Billboard's Hot 100, but also their followers are more than Nico's followers. Nico is only known as the most acclaimed act. I think, here, R.E.M. can be beaten up Nico.

2. The Breeders - Pod
It's not problem if in this tournament Alternative meet Alternative. Same as of above, between The Breeders and Alt-J, The Breeders also can be beaten up Alt-J. I know The Breeders very well because they are not only known for their song, "Cannonball", but also known as the project of Pixies.

3. Marion Jola - Marion
This tournament is terrible because The Beach Boys member meet Indonesian Idol alumni. It's hard to understand who will be the winner until 21 April because both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are the best and both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are very known for their own songs in their home: Marion Jola with "So in Love" while Brian Wilson with The Beach Boys' "Caroline, No" (his song classified as a one-hit wonder because the Top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 never see Brian Wilson's singles again). Also, their genres are different: Marion Jola is a Pop artist while Brian Wilson is a member of The Beach Boys, a Surf Rock band that turn to Pop Rock band, formed in 1961. So, because both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are the best, Brian Wilson's chair is giving up to Marion Jola as my sacrifice.

4. Giant - Time To Burn
Same as of above, this tournament is terrible. This time, Melodic Slow Rock band meet Latin/Chicano Rock and Roll artist. And again, because both Giant and Ritchie Valens are the best, Ritchie Valens' chair is giving up to Giant as my sacrifice.
Hi Wisnu Tirta Aji!
Just checking in... have you listened to all 8 albums in the tournament this week?
Thanks!
User avatar
FrankLotion
Movin' On Up
Posts: 840
Joined: Sat May 05, 2018 9:15 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by FrankLotion »

1. R.E.M. - Green
2. The Breeders - Pod
3. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
User avatar
StevieFan13
Wuthering Heights
Posts: 6967
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: New York, New York
Contact:

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by StevieFan13 »

1. R.E.M. - Green
2. The Breeders - Pod
3. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
User avatar
StevieFan13
Wuthering Heights
Posts: 6967
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: New York, New York
Contact:

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by StevieFan13 »

Brad wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2020 8:15 pm
Wisnu Tirta Aji wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2020 2:28 am 1. R.E.M. - Green
Today, the most successful band, R.E.M., meet the most acclaimed act, Nico. Heightly, R.E.M. is not only best known for their songs that charting on Billboard's Hot 100, but also their followers are more than Nico's followers. Nico is only known as the most acclaimed act. I think, here, R.E.M. can be beaten up Nico.

2. The Breeders - Pod
It's not problem if in this tournament Alternative meet Alternative. Same as of above, between The Breeders and Alt-J, The Breeders also can be beaten up Alt-J. I know The Breeders very well because they are not only known for their song, "Cannonball", but also known as the project of Pixies.

3. Marion Jola - Marion
This tournament is terrible because The Beach Boys member meet Indonesian Idol alumni. It's hard to understand who will be the winner until 21 April because both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are the best and both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are very known for their own songs in their home: Marion Jola with "So in Love" while Brian Wilson with The Beach Boys' "Caroline, No" (his song classified as a one-hit wonder because the Top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 never see Brian Wilson's singles again). Also, their genres are different: Marion Jola is a Pop artist while Brian Wilson is a member of The Beach Boys, a Surf Rock band that turn to Pop Rock band, formed in 1961. So, because both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are the best, Brian Wilson's chair is giving up to Marion Jola as my sacrifice.

4. Giant - Time To Burn
Same as of above, this tournament is terrible. This time, Melodic Slow Rock band meet Latin/Chicano Rock and Roll artist. And again, because both Giant and Ritchie Valens are the best, Ritchie Valens' chair is giving up to Giant as my sacrifice.
Hi Wisnu Tirta Aji!
Just checking in... have you listened to all 8 albums in the tournament this week?
Thanks!
Oh no. He's misinterpreting it the same way he misinterpreted Biggest Fan.

The comparisons have nothing to do with relative popularity! They have to do with your subjective opinions on the albums' quality!
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
Rdwdbob
Keep On Movin'
Posts: 1604
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:06 am
Location: Healdsburg, CA
Contact:

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Rdwdbob »

StevieFan13 wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2020 11:05 pm
Brad wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2020 8:15 pm
Wisnu Tirta Aji wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2020 2:28 am 1. R.E.M. - Green
Today, the most successful band, R.E.M., meet the most acclaimed act, Nico. Heightly, R.E.M. is not only best known for their songs that charting on Billboard's Hot 100, but also their followers are more than Nico's followers. Nico is only known as the most acclaimed act. I think, here, R.E.M. can be beaten up Nico.

2. The Breeders - Pod
It's not problem if in this tournament Alternative meet Alternative. Same as of above, between The Breeders and Alt-J, The Breeders also can be beaten up Alt-J. I know The Breeders very well because they are not only known for their song, "Cannonball", but also known as the project of Pixies.

3. Marion Jola - Marion
This tournament is terrible because The Beach Boys member meet Indonesian Idol alumni. It's hard to understand who will be the winner until 21 April because both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are the best and both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are very known for their own songs in their home: Marion Jola with "So in Love" while Brian Wilson with The Beach Boys' "Caroline, No" (his song classified as a one-hit wonder because the Top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 never see Brian Wilson's singles again). Also, their genres are different: Marion Jola is a Pop artist while Brian Wilson is a member of The Beach Boys, a Surf Rock band that turn to Pop Rock band, formed in 1961. So, because both Marion Jola and Brian Wilson are the best, Brian Wilson's chair is giving up to Marion Jola as my sacrifice.

4. Giant - Time To Burn
Same as of above, this tournament is terrible. This time, Melodic Slow Rock band meet Latin/Chicano Rock and Roll artist. And again, because both Giant and Ritchie Valens are the best, Ritchie Valens' chair is giving up to Giant as my sacrifice.
Hi Wisnu Tirta Aji!
Just checking in... have you listened to all 8 albums in the tournament this week?
Thanks!
Oh no. He's misinterpreting it the same way he misinterpreted Biggest Fan.

The comparisons have nothing to do with relative popularity! They have to do with your subjective opinions on the albums' quality!
To put it quite simply - listen to ALL of the album in each pairing and vote for which one YOU like ... 😝
User avatar
Schüttelbirne
Into the Groove
Posts: 2379
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:50 am

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Schüttelbirne »

It seems to me like Wisnu's not voting, but predicting who the winner will be.
I think, here, R.E.M. can be beaten up Nico.
The Breeders also can be beaten up Alt-J.
It's hard to understand who will be the winner until 21 April
Judging from the quotes above, I believe that he's using the popularity of certain artists to determine who the winner will be. R.E.M. is more popular than Nico (true), Nico is more acclaimed than R.E.M. (that is a wrong assumption), so he predicts that we will vote R.E.M. the winner (which is probably true, sad as it may be).
Of course I can't explain why he would think that it's hard to understand who will win between Jola and Wilson, because that matchup has seemed pretty clear from the start (to me at least). But I guess, Wisnu is from the region in which Jola is popular, than she is in most other regions of the world, so that may cloud his judgment.

Just trying to make sense of it.
Maybe Wisnu himself could shed some light on it. Do we have someone who could translate? I always feel bad about misunderstandings like these...
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4719
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

Schüttelbirne wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 7:55 am It seems to me like Wisnu's not voting, but predicting who the winner will be.
Yes, I'm afraid we're all getting that feeling.
I'll concede Marion Jola and Giant to him, as they were his nominations (Jola of course sneaked through despite being a 2019 release - again, against the rules); neither, however, has more than a miraculous chance of advancing.
User avatar
Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3012
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 8:34 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Listyguy »

1. R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
2. The Breeders - Pod vs. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. Marion Jola - Marion vs. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson

Marion Jola marks the second time one of the ModAcc albums has been so obscure that it didn't exist on RYM before I submitted a request (the other was the Gemini Eye album from last year).
User avatar
Rob
Die Mensch Maschine
Posts: 7351
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:53 pm
Location: Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Rob »

Listyguy wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 2:55 pm
Marion Jola marks the second time one of the ModAcc albums has been so obscure that it didn't exist on RYM before I submitted a request (the other was the Gemini Eye album from last year).
That's especially interesting since the Jola album as more streams and Spotify than quite a few of the albums in this game. But I guess these streams are exclusively Indonesian and Rate Your Music is mostly used by westerners.
User avatar
Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3012
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 8:34 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Listyguy »

Rob wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 3:15 pm
Listyguy wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 2:55 pm
Marion Jola marks the second time one of the ModAcc albums has been so obscure that it didn't exist on RYM before I submitted a request (the other was the Gemini Eye album from last year).
That's especially interesting since the Jola album as more streams and Spotify than quite a few of the albums in this game. But I guess these streams are exclusively Indonesian and Rate Your Music is mostly used by westerners.
Yeah, "obscure" probably isn't the right word to use for a pop star from the 4th largest country in the world...
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4719
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

My picks:
1. R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
2. The Breeders - Pod vs. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. Marion Jola - Marion vs. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Giant - Time To Burn vs. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens

Thanks!
User avatar
mileswide
Full of Fire
Posts: 2528
Joined: Wed May 01, 2019 5:08 pm
Location: Nottingham, England

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by mileswide »

Don't know if I can forgive myself for voting against R.E.M., my top 2 are the strongest since Broken English & Broke with Expensive Taste in week 2 though:

2. R.E.M. - Green v. 1. Nico - The Marble Index

5. The Breeders - Pod v. 3. ∆ (alt-J) - This Is All Yours

7. Marion Jola - Marion v. 4. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson

6. Giant - Time to Burn v. 8. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens

Standout tracks: You Are the Everything | Lawns of Dawn | Limehouse | Warm Foothills | Merah Jambu | There's So Many | Time to Burn | Ooh! My Head
All I got inside is vacancy!
Myself
Let's Get It On
Posts: 153
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2019 7:07 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Myself »

1. Nico - The Marble Index
2. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
rumpdoll
Different Class
Posts: 400
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2017 12:49 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by rumpdoll »

1. R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
2. The Breeders - Pod vs. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. Marion Jola - Marion vs. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Giant - Time To Burn vs. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by spiritualized »

1. R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
2. The Breeders - Pod vs. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. Marion Jola - Marion vs. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Giant - Time To Burn vs. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
User avatar
PlasticRam
Into the Groove
Posts: 2202
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:51 am

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by PlasticRam »

3. tie
4. Giant - Time To Burn vs. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens

Ritche Valens album is a great discovery.
I feel like that
hectorthebat
Unquestionable Presence
Posts: 554
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:53 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by hectorthebat »

R.E.M. - Green 
Alt-J - This Is All Yours
Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
User avatar
Safetycat
Feeling Good
Posts: 1065
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2017 9:18 am

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Safetycat »

4. Green < 3. The Marble Index
Orange Crush is one of my favourite songs, and I don't mind Stand. Those two facts cannot save Green from being a mediocre release for the band.
Nico is neat, gothic and much more rewarding a listen.

1. Pod > 2. This Is All Yours
Pod deserves a heap of praise for the Happiness is a Warm Gun cover alone. But the whole thing is great. Kim Deal was always the part I liked best about the Pixies.
alt-j were very close but the album just didn't speak to me as much.

8. Marion < 7. Brian Wilson
Marion is just a pile of "eh".
Brian Wilson is a lot better. I'm not super into the final product but I can recognise something well made when I hear it.

6. Time To Burn < 5. Ritchie Valens
Giant seem to be one of those AOR bands who could have been popular if not for Nevermind. Time to Burn is passable, but I'd prefer to listen to Def Leppard.
Weird things happening for Ritchie Valens on Google Music - the songs on the album labelled Ritchie Valens are only somewhat right compared to the Wikipedia page, whereas the album "Easter on the Catwalk" has all the right songs but in the wrong order.
So my ranking is based on the Wikipedia order - and it's pretty good! A bit low-key but La Bamba still rocks out.
User avatar
Safetycat
Feeling Good
Posts: 1065
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2017 9:18 am

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Safetycat »

Didn't want to derail the Fiona Apple thread, but in response to Rob's comment there, Marion Jola didn't even win! She came 6th! I know the winners aren't usually the best acts on these shows but come on!
User avatar
Rob
Die Mensch Maschine
Posts: 7351
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:53 pm
Location: Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Rob »

8. Ritchie Valens – Ritchie Valens
It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes the best and worst song of the week are on the same album. They were initially even on the same single. La Bamba (originally the b-side) is a deep favorite of mine, close to top 100 and one of the highlights of the rock ‘n roll era. I know that Valens’ Spanish delivery isn’t all that, but he makes up for it in sheer energy. Donna (the a-side, and actually the song that made Valens’ name) on the other hand may not be in the 100 worst songs of all time, but certainly among my 100 least favorite from the AM top 10.000. It’s an unbearably sappy ballad, with cheesy lyrics and above all a singing style that’s way too cloying for my heart.
Where does that leave the album as a whole? Well, as you can see, in the week that gave us notoriously unpopular albums by Marion Jola and Giant I put Ritchie Valens last. The good news is that it rarely gets as bad as Donna, except on In a Turkish Town. The bad news is that absolutely nothing here touches La Bamba. This is pretty middle-of-the-road rock ‘n roll, hampered by a relative lack of energy and a voice that isn’t all that great. It doesn’t help that Valens wasn’t exactly an original. Of course he was only seventeen and perhaps shouldn’t be judged to harshly, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that the opening song, That’s My Little Suzie, has the lines “I got a girl named Sue/ She knows just what to do” and “She rocks to the east/ she rocks to the west”. I mean, come on, that’s pretty shameless. Making a connection to Little Richard only highlights the limitations of Valens, even if La Bamba is a rare track that matches that master’s energy. Otherwise, this is a muted affair, not deserving a spot next to Here’s Little Richard, After School Session, The Chirpin’ Crickets or The Dance Album of Carl Perkins, to name a few of the best albums of the era. Maybe he would have developed into something better, as he was still young, but we’ll never know.

7. Marion Jola – Marion
I wasn’t expecting an album by an Indonesian Idol contender ever to show up here! That’s not a knock on Indonesia, as I don’t expect an Idol album of any nationality to make it to this game. I don’t know how many Idol stars have ever had a sustained career anywhere (Kelly Clarkson is probably the best contender?), but it’s almost impossible to do as you don’t develop your style naturally, but basically sign up for a pop image. Pretty late in the album, Marion Jola suddenly decides to introduce herself and the album in a short spoken word intro and goes on the claim: “You have not been listening to my words/ You have been listening to my heart”. I don’t know Jola’s heart, but this seems standard pop. The weird thing for me is that this is a 2019 album, yet it sounds like the mainstream of the late ‘90’s, early 2000’s. The type of slick pop mixed with a slight tinge of R&B.
Having said all that I didn’t actually ended up disliking this album. I certainly didn’t love it, but at the same time I thought it rather pleasant. Especially when she sings in Indonesian, as that language turns out to have a nice, flowing sound to it (and this is an album were not being able to understand the lyrics is an advantage). The few duets and rap moments are poor, but when Jola focusses on her own voice, you can at least guess why people voted for her. The songs themselves are plastic pop and unremarkable. Don’t expect any hints of Indonesian indigenous music to find its way in here, outside of the language (unless I miss something). It works purely as a background album for me, but perhaps because I expecting absolutely nothing from this I ended up thinking it could be much, much worse. That it could be much, much better is a moot point when talking about Idol albums. You take your winnings when you can get them.

6. Giant – Time to Burn
Yes, this album came out too late. Or too early. In 1992 this was too grand, too empowering, too eighties. But at the end of the nineties, there was a lot of rock like this around that was very popular again. I should know, because I grew up with it a lot. Not with Giant, but things like 3 Doors Down and Shinedown. Maybe that’s why I seem to be able to stomach this better than most here. Sure, the lyrics are cheesy, the singing is too impressed by itself and it’s too convinced that a wailing guitar is the coolest f*cking thing in the world. Sure, but I call it home. And like my original, parental home I outgrew it, but there is no denying it can be comfortable to return every now and then when the chips are down. In its kind it isn’t too bad. The singing and the lyrics are a bit too much, but at least the band can play. It does rock.

5. Alt-J – This Is All Yours
For someone like me, who really only knows this band for Breezeblocks and Tesselate, this is an unexpected album. I really don’t know if This Is All Yours has an overall sound comparable to An Awesome Wave, but the two singles from that one gave me the feeling that alt-J where more into cute, indie pop songs, along the lines of Vampire Weekend. Yet here we are, listening to very calm mood music, truly deserving of being called folktronica. There are again two song that are more pop in nature: Every Other Freckle and Left Hand Free, but these are the only two that I would call immediate (outside of the surprising cover of Lovely Day; a ‘hidden’ track). Outside of this there is more of a dreamy atmosphere going on. It is a mixed bag. Although it maintains an almost ambient-like pleasantness all through the running time I also frequently felt that the songs were aimless, where at other times it did hit a special feeling of transcendence, especially on The Gospel of John Hurt. I can’t call it quite a great album yet, but it is intriguing and at the very least worth more than one listen.

4. Brian Wilson – Brian Wilson
Old love dies hard sometimes. This is not a great album, but because of that Brian Wilson touch I can not help but like most of it, sometimes a lot. I haven’t looked into it too much, but apparently this ‘comeback’ album of sorts was not made under the best circumstances and it has gotten a bit of a reputation as a work that feels forced. That may all be true, but there are also a lot of nice Beach Boys type pleasures to be had here, with great harmonies and hooks, as well as a naively good vibe. There are even two great songs here: Love and Mercy and the closer Rio Grande, which evokes The Smile Sessions. The thing that lets the album down somewhat is the production, which used to be Wilson’s greatest strength, but here he gives in too much to eighties trends, even though the songs themselves can’t help but evoke the sixties. Maybe a new mix in the old style could have turned it into a masterpiece. Though Night Time has to go regardless, that’s the only really bad song here.

3. The Breeders – Pod
Cannonball is one of those classics I never understood, despite being in a genre that should be up my alley, so I never explored The Breeders further. As per usual the loss is mine, because this is indeed a type of music I love. It’s ramshackle indie rock that goes hard and sounds strangely sexy at the same time. It also feels like a set of home demo’s, but in a good way, as it makes the album sound not only more spontaneous but also dirty, which fits the music. I only wish that I could make out the vocals in the process. It’s part of that demo feel of course, but badly mixed vocals are a key turn-off for me. Otherwise, this is great stuff.

2. R.E.M. – Green
None of R.E.M.’s albums of the eighties are overlooked or underrated exactly, but Green is the one looked down upon the most, because it is supposed to be the most uneven one and the one where they went ‘commercial’ (their actual most commercially successful albums are curiously not that frowned upon, save perhaps Out of Time). I have personally always ignored this because it’s most well-known songs are Stand and Orange Crush, which I regarded as lesser R.E.M. singles. I should have known better, because this is also the album that actually contains one of my favorite songs of theirs: World Leader Pretend. Turns out this is more than a solid album; not uneven at all. It kicks off with Pop Song 89 which sets up the good vibes and continues along with songs that change mood and style, while still having that hazy spring mood that I get from the cover. I was surprised to find some very folky songs here, in the superb You Are Everything and The Wrong Child, two stand-outs. Equally great is the dark mood found on I Remember California, a sound later explored further on Drive, although this older song is less oppressive. And for the first time even Stand and Orange Crush clicked, especially the latter. Superb.

1. Nico – The Marble Index
Ah yes, Nico, one of the real weird talents of music history. The Marble Index might secretly be her most accomplished work (not counting her collaboration with The Velvet Underground, as I don’t consider that a Nico album). Her other albums all have brilliance as well as flaws, but here things come together. It feels like a mysterious force of nature, as well as something ancient, like a Germanic saga of old imposing into our modern day life. Nico takes on the role of an old, wise seer, something tried by a lot of prog rock bands of the era who came across as cheesy. Nico does not, there is an authenticity to her old-soul ice queen persona. Don’t come for melodies or hits, but stay for atmosphere and the feeling of something forgotten that we still can’t shake off.
Yesterday I got the crazy idea to play this album while watching the silent film classic The Phantom Carriage, directed by Victor Sjöstrom in 1921. That was a good match (well, except that the film is almost over an hour longer than the album).


A simple overview of my votes:

1. R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
2. The Breeders - Pod vs. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. Marion Jola - Marion vs. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Giant - Time To Burn vs. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
CupOfDreams
Different Class
Posts: 307
Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2018 3:58 am

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by CupOfDreams »

1. Nico - The Marble Index
2. The Breeders - Pod
3. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4719
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

less than an hour left to vote!
Kingoftonga
Rust Never Sleeps
Posts: 759
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:50 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Kingoftonga »

Winners in red:

1. R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
2. The Breeders - Pod vs. Alt-J - This Is All Yours
3. Marion Jola - Marion vs. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
4. Giant - Time To Burn vs. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4719
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

OK guys - I have a dilemma.

R.E.M. and Nico are currently tied 11-11.
Typically, I would ask for a tie-break vote from someone who has not already voted.
However, I'm unsure whether Wisnu's vote for R.E.M. should be valid (in which case Nico would be the winner).
I've attempted to get Wisnu to answer whether he's heard both albums or not but have gotten no response (he hasn't posted anywhere since last Tuesday).

What I've decided to do is treat the tie as usual for today.
If no-one responds within 24 hours, and I receive no affirmative response (meaning he has heard both albums), I will remove his vote and declare Nico the winner by default.

I hope this doesn't seem too harsh or unfair but I also realize this is not an isolated incident.

Let me know if you disagree, please!

In the grand scheme of things I realize this is not a big deal, but I'd like to keep this tournament as clean as possible - outright denial of following the rules can be a bit unnerving.

So, here are the results!

23 total voters this week:
Bang Jan
Brad
Cold Butterfly
CupOfDreams
DaveC
FrankLotion
hectorthebat
Jirin
Kingoftonga
Listyguy
madzong
mileswide
Myself
PlasticRam
Rdwdbob
Rob
Romain
rumpdoll
Safetycat
Schüttelbirne
spiritualized
StevieFan13
Wisnu Tirta Aji

Winners:
1. Nico - The Marble Index over R.E.M. - Green 12-11 (ot)
2. The Breeders - Pod over Alt-J - This Is All Yours 16-6
3. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson over Marion Jola - Marion 19-2
4. Ritchie Valens - Ritchie Valens over Giant - Time To Burn 17-5

TIE!
R.E.M. - Green vs. Nico - The Marble Index
***Tie 11-11 Next vote from someone who has not already voted in this match-up wins!*** (also, see note above)


Round 1.7 up soon!
Last edited by Brad on Wed Apr 22, 2020 3:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Rob
Die Mensch Maschine
Posts: 7351
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:53 pm
Location: Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Rob »

Brad wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 2:54 pm I hope this doesn't seem too harsh or unfair but I also realize this is not an isolated incident.
Well, I understand your concerns. I already made the decision to not count his votes for Biggest Fan and that didn't sit well with me either, because you want to trust everyone here and Wisnu is not great at expressing himself in English, which makes miscommunication a possibility. On the other hand, nothing Wisnu has said makes me feel like he has heard all these albums or that his votes are based on his taste, so giving Nico the win doesn't seem that outrageous to me.
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4719
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

Rob wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 3:38 pm
Brad wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 2:54 pm I hope this doesn't seem too harsh or unfair but I also realize this is not an isolated incident.
Well, I understand your concerns. I already made the decision to not count his votes for Biggest Fan and that didn't sit well with me either, because you want to trust everyone here and Wisnu is not great at expressing himself in English, which makes miscommunication a possibility. On the other hand, nothing Wisnu has said makes me feel like he has heard all these albums or that his votes are based on his taste, so giving Nico the win doesn't seem that outrageous to me.
Thanks Rob - the fact that I asked him the previous week about this and he flat out said "No" (he didn't listen to the albums) was pretty blatant, I feel.
Rdwdbob
Keep On Movin'
Posts: 1604
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:06 am
Location: Healdsburg, CA
Contact:

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Rdwdbob »

Brad wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:21 pm
Rob wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 3:38 pm
Brad wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 2:54 pm I hope this doesn't seem too harsh or unfair but I also realize this is not an isolated incident.
Well, I understand your concerns. I already made the decision to not count his votes for Biggest Fan and that didn't sit well with me either, because you want to trust everyone here and Wisnu is not great at expressing himself in English, which makes miscommunication a possibility. On the other hand, nothing Wisnu has said makes me feel like he has heard all these albums or that his votes are based on his taste, so giving Nico the win doesn't seem that outrageous to me.

Thanks Rob - the fact that I asked him the previous week about this and he flat out said "No" (he didn't listen to the albums) was pretty blatant, I feel.

Brad / Rob - I agree with your solutions to this situation. Keeping the spirit of the contest as pure as possible is tantamount I think. Although I voted for REM I certainly wouldn’t mind Nico moving on. That matchup had been the closest one me for me so far. BTW: this is by far my favorite forum here. Thanks!
User avatar
Honorio
Higher Ground
Posts: 4482
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:38 am
Location: L'Eliana, Valencia, Spain

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Honorio »

Hi friends:
I'm going to break the tie by voting for Nico. I like a lot "Green" and I think it was a worthy assault to mainstream from the then quintessential indie band. But seeing the whole discography of R.E.M. it can be seen as a valley between better previous and posterior albums. Anyway I love "The Marble Index," the album that truly defined the sound of Nico (even if I also love the previous album, "Chelsea Girl," is not too representative of her sound).
About the issue with Wisnu Tirta Aji I don't feel good about it too. Maybe we've been too harsh on him when maybe it's mostly a problem of language barrier. Or maybe not. Maybe his enjoyment of music depends mostly on the success of the artists/songs/albums, on their ability to reach massive audiences. And, frankly, who are we to judge the reasons behind the enjoyment of music of anyone? For many of us obscurity get sometimes extra points for our enjoyment. If there's nothing wrong with people that enjoy mainly obscure act it should be the same with people that mainly enjoy popular acts.
Having said that, he said no when Brad asked if he listened to the albums before voting. And that's not right. So probably you should count Nico as the winner (moreover when I voted for the tie-breaker). Anyway I think I'll try to contact him by means of a private message with the aid of the google translator to Indonesian to see what he thinks on the subject.
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4719
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Brad »

Thanks Honorio - Nico is the winner.

More importantly, I don't want to exclude anyone from enjoying this tournament (or forum, for that matter) - I suspect we all feel that way. I appreciate you taking the time to attempt to communicate with him & I hope he rejoins soon.
User avatar
Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3012
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 8:34 pm

Re: Moderately Acclaimed Albums 11 - Round 1.6

Post by Listyguy »

I think you made the right decision, Brad. The last time we received any kind of confirmation from Wisnu about whether they listened to the albums before voting, the answer was "no." I don't think it's unreasonable to exclude Wisnu's votes until they acknowledge and understand that you need to listen to the albums.
Post Reply

Return to “Music, Music, Music...”